Another summer break draws to a close and I am sat here on a glorious summer morning looking out over the lush green moors and the blue sky punctuated with cotton wool clouds with my cup of tea trying hard to summon up the energy to write this blog.
I have always had an issue with the last days of anything, I always feel a little unsettled and apprehensive about what’s to come. Now I am lucky in that I enjoy what I do so it’s not the thought of returning to work which does it , I suppose its the freedom of doing what I want when I like which I will miss and that doesn’t happen unless it’s a holiday.
My cure for these holiday blues as my wife calls them is to make every second of the last day count. I am sat here waiting for her to get ready so we can breakfast out at our favourite breakfast stop, Albion Farm which is fantastic.
Now thats not just me saying that, they got runner up in the best breakfast in the whole of the United Kingdom earlier this year so I will just have to try some homemade Black Pudding and Bacon.
After breakfast we will pop off to see friends in Yorkshire, across the moors which this time of year are a fantastic sight.
So another great break draws to a close and I can guarantee that within two days of being back in the office this will all seem like a very pleasant dream, whilst trying to sort out projects which involve far too much work and to short a deadline.
This week marks 46 years since the Apollo 11 moon landing, described by Barack Obama upon the death of Neil Armstrong as a “moment of human achievement that will never be forgotten”.
We are all living with some remnant of the technology that had to be developed for this huge achievement. It made the world sit up and watch in awe at the heroic deeds of Neill Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and the almost always forgotten Michael Collins who was left piloting the Command Module
They left for the moon perched on the top of a Saturn V rocket from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, on July 16th 1969. Once in orbit the astronauts travelled for three days until they entered into lunar orbit. Armstrong and Aldrin then moved into the Lunar Module and landed in the Sea of Tranquillity.
They stayed a total of about 211⁄2 hours on the lunar surface before lifting off in the upper part of the Lunar Module and re-joining Collins in the Command Module. They returned to Earth and landed in the Pacific Ocean on July 24.
What amazes me still is that these extraordinary people really did go were no man had gone before, they had no idea if they would survive and that does take a special type of commitment.
But What if it had gone wrong? those who know me know that I am a plan B kind of guy , the type at meetings who says if it doesn’t work what are we going to do?
NASA had every eventuality covered even down to the presidents reaction in case of the unthinkable happened. This is probably the best speech never made by a president. The speech released by the US National Archives which reveals what the president at the time, Richard Nixon, would have delivered to the world if all had not gone to plan.
Fate has ordained that the men who went to the moon to explore in peace will stay on the moon to rest in peace.
These brave men, Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin, know that there is no hope for their recovery. But they also know that there is hope for mankind in their sacrifice.
These two men are laying down their lives in mankind’s most noble goal: the search for truth and understanding.
They will be mourned by their families and friends; they will be mourned by their nation; they will be mourned by the people of the world; they will be mourned by a Mother Earth that dared send two of her sons into the unknown.
In their exploration, they stirred the people of the world to feel as one; in their sacrifice, they bind more tightly the brotherhood of man.
In ancient days, men looked at stars and saw their heroes in the constellations. In modern times, we do much the same, but our heroes are epic men of flesh and blood.
Others will follow, and surely find their way home. Man’s search will not be denied. But these men were the first, and they will remain the foremost in our hearts.
For every human being who looks up at the moon in the nights to come will know that there is some corner of another world that is forever mankind.
The speech, written by William Safire who would later become a columnist at the New York Times, is a remarkable piece of writing, factual but almost poetic.
What is even more incredible is that Collins would have had to return to earth on his own knowing that the other two had been lost, now that is something that no amount of training can prepare you for.
I am fortunate to be of an age where I can remember the excitement of the space race, the astronaut’s, the engineers and the epic accomplishments that made me think as a teenager anything is possible.
I have sat and thought about that time on more than one occasion since and unfortunately as a species we have never had the opportunity to shine as we did in that bygone age of space exploration.
As everyone who knows me I am a sixty one year old grumpy bloke who has been around the clock (please excuse the metaphor), but today has been a good day, correction, a fantastic day.
I have watched young people who have sweat blood sweat and tears for three or more years come together along with the rest of the college to celebrate achievement at their graduation ceremony.
These students have no idea what they have achieved. They have the grace and temerity to reluctantly stand on a stage and be recognised for the hard work and sacrifice they have made to make a difference to there lives.
It’s not only the recipients that deserve the accolades, it’s the families, partners and various support people who have endured tantrums and the demands that comes with living with someone who is on a degree course.
Its days like this that make me think I do have the best job in the world. Every year I get to interview these bright young people who have the world at their feet and do not realise just how talented and gifted they are.
The one thing that comes out more than anything else is the wide eyed incredulity that is etched on the faces of these hard working individuals when they are given a handshake and a certificate that makes this type of event very special.
This expression of delight is only surpassed by the immense pride from Mums, Dads, Grandparents and siblings. This is the stuff that life is about, seeing your loved ones achieve, cheering and sharing in success. Now this type of success does not come from buying a lottery ticket, it comes from hard work and sacrifice, and families recognise this.
I will admit today I had a tear in my eye because many of these individuals who have achieved have made huge sacrifices and overcome hurdles that would have made many people in similar circumstances give up before they had started. But in spite of these hurdles have achieved great things.
Perhaps the only greater feeling is as a member of the teaching staff involved is the gratification of watching the precious cargo be successful.
So to everyone who turned up and gained recognition, I salute you. to the families who supported you and cheered enthusiastically, I salute you. but more than anything else thank you all for letting me be a part of one of the best days of your life.
All that remains to be said is that use your qualifications and experience to help the world become a better place and more importantly thank you for a great day.
Oliver Stones Born on the 4th of July Is one of my favourite films of all time, What’s more surprising it is probably Tom Cruises best performance by far. Ron was the voice of the forgotten generation of young men who deserved to be treated a great deal better than they were.
“I don’t like this,” my mother said as she set the dinner table. “It’s getting to be a bad habit.”
The rest of my family out-voted her. So my brother placed the portable black and white TV on a snack table in the corner of the kitchen.
It was fall, 1967, and I was a senior in high school. Between bites of dinner and sips of milk, my family watched the news unfolding from Vietnam. As a student who thought history was her best subject, I was interested in the logistics of it all, the politics. My ability to watch young men being ripped apart on a 16-inch screen and then say things like, “Please pass the potatoes,” evidently didn’t bother me.
Then Ron Kovic got shot.
Ron Kovic grew up one block over and two blocks up from our house. He and his friends were a staple of my…
Just been dusting at the back of my blog and found this, I cant believe I have been Blogging this long. Before you ask I am still being ‘nice’ on a regular basis.
I had an epiphany the other night whilst I lay awake in the early hours, I thought i would conduct a social experiment using myself as the preverbal lab rat (some may say that I have been typecast).
What if for twenty four hours I was nice and thoughtful to the people I came into contact with, rather than being the cynical grumpy northern bloke that I am so proud to be. So Friday last week I got out of bed and started the experiment.
The first thing I did was make Ann a cup of tea in bed (that was not to difficult, I do that every morning) Kissed her on the cheek and said “good morning darling and how are you today”? The look on her face was that of someone who had woken up in a parallel universe, you know the sort of look that says…
If you remember earlier this year I posted a blog about my bucket list. Not that I am terminally ill or anything but when you reach Sixty you start thinking about all the stuff you missed whilst you were young enough to enjoy it and start looking at stuff you can still do without ending your life prematurely.
Now some of my friends have taken to exercising and walking across hill and dale, now whilst that is a very worthy pastime and it keeps you fit I have an issue with it. I live in the hills and have to walk on hills on a fairly regular basis, that’s why I have a car.
Ann and myself had a sit down and a long chat about how we were going to arrive in our twilight years and we came to the conclusion that once your body lets you down the only thing you have left are your memories and the ones the make you smile will be the ones that make you happiest.
So this year we decided to embark on a road trip to the continent in our belated midlife crisis, our sports car Mr Gray. Now if you are like us we need a bit of sorting out on the travel front because although we like travelling, I hate research (I do that for a living). So we decided to embark on a motoring adventure along with 500 other people from across Europe and enter the Laon Historique, one of the largest classic car rallies in Europe.
Now the main consideration we had before entering the event is not the event itself but the 450 miles and a ferry crossing that makes it a road trip even before we start the event. But by far the biggest challenge was nothing to do with the journey but convincing Ann that we do not need four cases full of clothes for a four-day journey.
So we decided that since we were in no great hurry to get to the event we would take our time down to the ferry and we would have regular coffee stops and arrange lunch with friends who don’t live to far off the route. So after a couple of coffee stops on the motorway we eventually stopped at Towcester, for lunch with some friends who like ourselves like nothing better than a good meal.
After a fantastic meal it was then down to Dover for an overnight stay before catching the first ferry or the day the morning after. Now how hard can it be to book a hotel online? Apparently according to Ann even a chimp could do it, so how did I manage to book us into the wrong hotel!
So rather than an entertaining evening with our Car club, we found ourselves in the company of some serious classic car fanatics. Poor Mr Gray looked very out of place amongst the Aston Martins, E type Jaguars and various other exotic pieces of motoring history, but the company was good as was the evening meal.
The wrong Hotel at Dover with some rather nice cars
The next morning it was up nice and early a quick breakfast then down to the Hotel which we should have stayed in and meet up with the rest of our gang then onto the ferry for a quick trip across the channel.
The rest of the Roadtrip guys from the Crossfire Club
Now if you live in the UK driving on the continent is always a daunting prospect because the French drive on the wrong side of the road (a typical British superior notion that everyone else must be wrong). That makes for the first few miles of driving very stressful. However I did try to reassure Ann by telling her I had been practicing on my grandsons Xbox playing Grand Theft Auto but that didn’t seem to re assure her at all.
Driving in France is how driving in the UK would have been like in the nineteen sixties. Long straight empty roads punctuated by small villages and brilliant restaurants that serve fresh food to die for. After a very pleasant high speed jaunt down a very clear Toll Road be eventually arrived in Laon which is a beautiful walled city that stood out high above the rolling hills of the area. It looked very majestic in the afternoon sunshine.
By the end of the journey all we really needed was a shower and a quick nap and then we would be ready for the start of the festivities. Now we arrived at the Hotel I had booked and it looked fantastic, we walked into the Hotel reception handed over my reservation documentation smiled nicely to the polite gentleman behind the reception desk who duly and may I say a little curtly Non!
Non! Even with my limited French I knew this wasn’t good, Ann was sat outside in the car waiting to be taken into a romantic French hotel room with chocolates on the pillow and fresh fruit on the table. He explained that I had actually booked the budget hotel next door which allowed us to use the facilities of this hotel but we would be in what was the equivalent of a French Youth Hostel!
To try and save face with Ann I asked if it would be possible to book a room at this hotel. He looked at me with an expression of disbelief that only French can give and told me there wasn’t a room to be had in a sixty mile radius. I thanked him as best I could turned slowly and headed out to the car. All I can say it was a long walk back to the car, how can I as a man admit that I had yet again managed to cock up my second hotel booking in two days and still have a marriage at the end of it?
Considering the magnitude of the information I gave to Ann the response was very measured and shall I say a little quiet even quietly menacing. I tried my reassuring best let’s make the best of this situation voice and heard these words come out of my mouth. It might not be as bad I we think and after all we won’t be spending much time in the room anyway.
How wrong can one man be, it was a cross between a ferry cabin and a set in Ikea, it was clean and the green and cream wood-chip set the laminate floor off beautifully. Ann pointed out there was little chance of any romance because of the Bunk Beds in the room but other than that in her words it was ok.
Our Bijou Hotel Room
After a goodnights sleep Saturday arrived and we embarked on what is the Rally day of the event which consisted of us following a set of instructions to find our way to lunch and back to the Town for a Concourse competition. Now that sounds simple but in practice it is quite stressful.
Ann did a sterling job in navigating but now and again when we caught up with a group of cars it gave us chance to stop arguing. In theory that would be a great strategy but after following a couple of Porsches for a few miles we came unstuck when at a tee junction one went left and one went right.
Eventually we arrived at the venue for lunch, a beautiful oasis of calm, food and sunbathing. So after an hour or so we hit the road again taking in the scenery and stopping off now and again for a drink and a break. The rolling hills and fantastic deserted roads made for a brilliant afternoon.
our lunch stop, an oasis of calm in the middle of a storm.
At the end of the rally we then attended the concourse competition were we discovered that what I thought was cleaning a car was if fact nowhere near good enough to compete with these guys. I have never seen so much polish applied to so many exotic cars, it was a petrol heads dream come true.
Mr Grey at a comfort stop in the beautiful rolling hills in France
We had a fantastic experience and we even managed to come out of it unscathed and in true french style, we celebrated at yet another Champagne reception. We had a great weekend, met some fabulous people and experienced some incredibly scary moments but would not have missed it for the world.
I apologise for the lack of activity on my blog for the past month or so but work commitments have made me an absentee blogger. I would have posted but the seventy hour weeks for the past month have meant I have turned into a power sleeper and all round dull boy.
So what has had my attention for the past four weeks? Projects by the bucketful, you know how it is, a little like waiting for a bus, Wait for ages then three come a once.
The main focus of my attention has been an awards ceremony for the Vocational Qualification Awards at the college where I work. Now Oldham College has never been an organisation that ever does things by halves, it was a herculean task to produce and last Wednesday it went ahead to rave reviews.
Event Production is not a job for the faint hearted and being an Event Producer you are the guy were the buck stops should it all go Pete Tong. The secret to the job is you need to surround yourself with a great team of people who will always exceed your expectations and are not frightened to tell you that what you are proposing will work or not. It’s not essential but they also need to regularly tell you that you are clinically insane for undertaking such an idea in the first place and then prove to you that it can be done.
Now that’s not to say that some very intense conversations take place but it’s important that no one wastes time sulking or being precious, but in the end this working methodology leads to presentations and events that people remember and a piece of work that will look great on your resume.
Now once you have your team in place the challenge is to wrap them around the students so that they get the experience of taking part in a large scale presentation. That is what I like about working in vocational education, you get to see young people develop and learn new skills and gain confidence whilst learning doing the job.I think it is important for young people to experience first-hand the pressure that certain jobs inherently involve, it creates a discipline within individuals that would be hard to achieve in the classroom.
So with a twenty two man crew last Wednesday at 7.30 they all knew that what they needed to do and when to make the show a success.
Now I am lucky, not only do I get to develop these young people but I get to meet the other students who won the awards. It is their moment in the limelight, their fifteen minutes of fame a chance to shine in front of their peers and families, and that is a fantastic experience.
Some of the individuals who won awards had incredible stories to tell. A Lady who was an Iraqi Family Court Judge who came here three years ago is learning English and is helping out in a local Advice Centre, The Student who has been caring for his terminally Ill father and still completed his studies without ever missing a lesson.
The list is endless, everyone has a story but the one thing they all have in common is that they all turn up and study with the collective idea that education will improve their prospects in life. On that point I have to agree with them, the quickest way to improve your lot in life is to work hard and get an education and if you find a job that you love you have it made.
So I congratulate our winners and commiserate with the nominees, who hopefully will have another chance next year.
To my loyal band of followers normal service will be resumed as soon a possible.
PROJECT BY OSKAR PERNEFELDT The International Flag of Planet Earth is a graduation project at Beckmans College of Design (Stockholm, Sweden)
I saw this flag on the most beautiful blog I have ever seen and It got me thinking about how we see each other in the grand scheme of things.
We all like to feel we belong, to be a part of something bigger. If we are lucky we are surrounded by family who infuriate us and make us proud in equal measure.
On the next level we like to see ourselves as part of a community, like your village or town, and on it goes. We become quite tribal the further up the scale we go.
For example I live in a village that has belonged to both Yorkshire and Lancashire over the centuries and people can’t agree on which county we live in even now and I have seen it lead to some heated conversations in the local pub.
At the next level when it comes to your country most of us become very patriotic and often become a little suspicious in the first instance of people from other countries but the more I meet strangers and the more I travel the more I discover we all have more in common that we like to admit.
So when I came across this flag it sort of puts the whole tribal thing into some sort of perspective.
The Earth is our home and we should look at it as a global entity. We all have an impact on each other no matter what race or religion we follow.
With this in mind as we start to explore beyond our planet we should have an identity that will be instantly recognisable should ET ever get in touch. I think the design is inspired but then again I am just a simple soul.
Well I am now officially old. My Grand Daughter Saskia had her thirteenth birthday last week which means I am the grandparent of a teenager, nothing prepares you for that, overnight I feel older but no wiser.
Now like all grandparents I believe we are put on this planet to embarrass our kids at every opportunity and with this thought in mind Ann and myself have been trawling through the photographs of Saskia. We decided to make a video of some of the highlights of the last thirteen years of living with Saskia.
So here it is, can I just say she is very embarrassed by it which makes it even more enjoyable for us.
1966 was a very good year in my hometown it was the year England won the World Cup and everyone was excited about that.
I was twelve years old and from what I can remember I seemed to play from dawn till dusk getting up to all sorts of mischief. I might be looking back through rose coloured glasses but from what I can remember the summers were sunnier and the days longer that they appear to be now.
I lived with my parents and my younger brother in a house that had three bedrooms and unusually for the time a bathroom with an indoor toilet, (which was a novelty to many of my friends). Now not many people will remember the trip down the garden to the toilet late at night with a torch, but I can assure you it was every bit as terrifying as it sounded when you were twelve. So when we moved into our new house that was one tradition I was pleased to see the back of.
Now in 1966 central heating was the domain of the wealthy and to stay warm we had large roaring fires in every room which made you warm at the front but because of the draughts cold at the back.
The only luxury I can remember was the TV that sat in the corner of our front room that we were allowed to watch until 6.00 pm when the adult programmes started. Now the big programme that my mates and myself watched and never missed an episode of was Thunderbirds, to us it was the ultimate in adventure and had a group of brothers all doing great stuff to help save people who found themselves in peril.
I look back at those programmes now and think they look a bit dated but back in the day I can remember pretending to be Scott Tracy in Thunderbird One. Now back then we didn’t have anything but our imagination and our bikes to play on, but riding around the neighbourhood making jet noises and swooping in on anything that needed rescuing was great fun.
We even had our token girl in our gang only because Lady Penelope was cool and had a pink Rolls Royce with guns. Our lady Penelope had a pink bike and we always seemed to be picking her up of the floor because she couldn’t steer her bike very well.
It seems strange that Thunderbirds has recently been updated and with the latest animation techniques seems to have reinvented the programme for a whole new audience, which is never a bad thing.
The only down side is the fact it doesn’t quite live up to the programmes I remember enjoying as a twelve year old, but then again its 48 years since the last time I watched it and what was fiction then in most instances has become a reality today, but try explaining that to your twelve year old Grandchildren. They look at you as though you lived in prehistoric times.
John D Eccles 
